Questions Pro-Collecting Archaeologists Avoid Thinking About

English Heritage archaeologist Dr Ben Jervis for some reason best known to himself decided to write a fluffy "let's pat collectors on the head and everything will be OK" article on his "Archaeological Wanderings" blog in response to the widespread comments on the trashing of the Near Maidstone burial by Kent artefact hunters. I think his text ignores a whole swathe of issues which he dismisses with a shrug, and I discussed some of them on my blog at the time. It seems Dr Jervis is however singularly uninterested in other opinions on the matter and he eventually got around to posting up my comments sent a week earlier but did not bother himself to address any of the points I raised. This is pretty typical of pro-collecting archaeologists, no answers, totally dismissive of the concerns in their heads-down artefact-centric approach to the issue of site preservation.